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Pro-western Candidate Wins Easily In Presidential Runoff

May 31, 1999|By From Tribune News Services.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA — A pro-Western candidate soundly defeated Slovakia's former authoritarian prime minister in a runoff in the country's first direct election for president, according to official results Sunday.

Rudolf Schuster won 57.2 percent of the vote in Saturday's balloting, while Vladimir Meciar got 42.8 percent, the Central Election Commission said. Turnout was 75.5 percent in voting for the presidency, a largely ceremonial position.

Pro-Western Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda called Schuster's win "a good result for democracy."

Although the president wields little power, the victory of Schuster, who was the government's candidate, is a strong boost for Dzurinda and a rebuff to Meciar's comeback hopes.

While prime minister, Meciar was often criticized for his authoritarian government and anti-democratic leadership. Under his rule, the country fell from the group of front-runners for European Union and NATO membership.